The Green touch

Just because I don't post anything doesn't mean I don't do environmental stuff. Most of the time I must say I'm just lazy: I have an article to write about homemade yogurt for example and I know this one will take time to write... So today I decided to write about small, easy, random (and short to write about) tricks I do all the time. Trick n°1: use reusable shopping bags France is terribly ahead of Norway in that matter. 10 years ago you could also get (free) plastic bags at the supermarkets. Non biodegradable bags were forbidden in 2005, but I discover now that only the law was voted in 2005, and the deadline was fixed in 2010. Free plastic bags actually disappeared from the great majority of supermarkets as early as 2006 it seems. Instead you could buy very solid plastic bags for 0,50 cts (right one on the picture). From then on people got used to carry their own bags when going shopping. But I remember a friend who kept forgetting in the beginning and who ha...

Lately I decided to stop buying one of the three things I eat most often and make them myself. The idea was to reduce the amount of waste. One of them is garlic croûton. I like to eat "light" in the evening, especially when I have to get up early (eating beaf doesn't help falling asleep for exemple). I often have a corn and cumcumber salad which I like to eat with croûtons, otherwise it's boring :) But as I eat this dish quite often, I used to buy a lot of croûtons. I had to choose between croûtons emported from the US and overpacked european croûtons, which were, on the top of that, not particularly tasty. Now I make them myself, every two or three weeks. That's very easy, that's cheap, and they're delicious :) The first recipe I tried requested half a baguette, 6 garlic cloves, herbs and 50 cl olive oil, which is waaaaaay too much. The idea was to squeeze the garlic to bring out the taste as much as possible and mix it with oil. Quite a lot of ...

A balm is basically made of (bee)wax and oils. Contrary to a cream, which is an emulsion, a balm is only composed of fat material and quite easy to make. It nourishes (and does not moisturize) the skin, and leave a fat protective film on the skin.  A balm may serve as a support for active ingredients, like essential oil, for local application ( unguent ; ex: tiger balm). You can also make " massage bars " (1st recipe) and lip balm , in pot or stick (second recipe). The consistency and hardness of the balm depends on the quantity of wax and solid butters (not obligatory). The quantity of wax varies between 12 to 20%; source ). Why make homemade balm? Modus operandi Recipe 1: massage bar Lip balm: recipe & recycling of an old tube Where to buy beewax? Why make homemade balm? As any homemade product, you know exactly what ingredients are used, which you can choose according to their quality (organic, coldpressed oil...) and properties. Yo...

Fleece is a very useful material and there are many things you can turn an old jacket into, like make up pads ( see previous article ), baby wipes, dusters and so on. Every piece of fleece is reusable, so the first step is to remove all the threads. It's even more interesting because where the fleece was folded (hemline) or inside the pocket, the fabric has remained very soft, perfect to use on the skin. I think, other parts, more "exposed" are still soft enough. You might see the different textures by clicking on the picture. Once the fleece is ready, there is nothing easier: you just have to cut the shape you want, and it's done. Small squares for facial pad s, bigger pieces for baby wipes ...or duster . I didn't expect it the first time I tried but fleece is a very efficient dust catcher. As efficient, maybe more than microfiber cloth . That's why I use it to clean the floor too. I cut a long rectangle so I can tie it on my specia...

Cotton growing is one of the most polluting cultivation in the world. 2,5 % of cultivated areas on earth are used in that purpose. It seems to be much but it is nothing compared to the quantity of pesticides used: 24% of all the pesticides used in the world , to which one may add herbicides and fertilizer. Because of this heavy ecological impact and human victims of cotton growing it is very important to look for alternatives for all throwable cotton-made items such as make-up pads, diapers, baby wipes, Q-tips, feminine protection and so on. Buying organic-cotton items is a good start but as any thowable items that need to be replaced again and again, it requires more and more ressources. I have already given reusable alternatives to sanitary towels and tampons and to Q-tips . Today is all about make-up pads. I made - or to be more precise I knitted - some pads for christmas to offer with home-made make-up remover. I used cotton yarn I had found in a second-hand...

I just wanted to show you the birthday present I offered my sister in law: - homemade soap wrapped in (reused) silk paper and yarn ; old postcards for the label - homemade make up remover in a glass container ; label stuck with milk - washable make up pads, knitted with second hand cotton or cut in second hand fleece

EDIT November 30th, 2022: Hi there! I published a newer version of this article on my new blog, thegreentouch.net . Check it out!     Bonne année! Godt nytt år! A good resolution for 2012 would be to write more on this blog (and find a job, but that's another question), especially because I have many things in mind. A topic I should definitely develop is home made soap. Remember? I started in June because I was looking for laundry soap, ecological and palm oil free and I didn't find any in Norway; that's why I started to make my owns. And I liked it so much that I decided to make more, to use in the shower and to offer. Here are some of the soaps I gave away for Christmas. And speaking about, I whish I had had time in December to tell you about my Christmas philosophy. I know it's a bit late but it somehow applies to birthdays too. What I don't like about Christmas is that it is so materialistic! It's like you're forced t...

Initially published on 30/09/2011 Yesterday, I made a delicious potato gratin (yes it was!). It was totally worth it, but then, having to wash this (see picture) is a bit less nice. Especially because I know it will make my dishwashing brush greasy, and with many residues stuck in it. And I will have to waste a lot of water to get it clean again. But I found the trick (thanks again untrucparjour ! You see this special material, like a net, used to wrap potatoes, lemon, onions? If you use it as a sponge it will easily prewash the dirtiest dish without harming them.And if it (the net) is really too dirty to use it again, just throw it away!